Forsythia - a free quilt pattern in five sizes

January 24, 2026

Rebecca here. I love this quilt. I really, really love this quilt. Maybe it's because it's simple yet colorful and full of my favorite fabrics. Or maybe it's because I was postpartum with my second baby and handstitched it while my sewing room was packed up for a cross country move - keeping me company in a rental for five months and finishing the final binding stitches in the car driving to our new home in Ohio.

Who's to say. I'm rather attached to Forsythia.

Which is why Cait and I are so excited to be able to offer it to you as a free pattern tutorial! We included multiple sizes in this one. There's no background, so grab ALL your favorite colors and let's go!

Prefer a printer-friendly version? We have a PDF printable in the Pattern Shop for $2.

Skill Level: Novice

Cutting Instructions

Print - Scrappy Version

For fat quarters (18" x 21"): Cut each fat quarter into four 9" squares
For fat eighths (9" x 21"): Cut each fat eighth into two 9" squares

You'll need a total of (small throw 41/large throw 72/twin 98/queen 128/king 162) 9" blocks

See the table below for cutting directions for borders, binding, and the two-color version:

Once you have all your squares cut, lay them out on point (at a 45 degree angle). The large throw is pictured - 6 x 7 blocks - but we have listed the block layouts for the other sizes below it.

Small throw: 5 x 5 blocks

Twin: 7 x 8 blocks

Queen: 9 x 8 blocks

King: 10 x 9 blocks

After sewing the rows together, press towards Color B, or alternate the pressing direction for each row to nest seams.

Once your top is assembled, trim your blocks 1/4” from center. You should have 1/4” overlap/seam allowance above each point:

Borders

Cut off selvedges from your border strips. Sew the 3 1/2” strips end to end with a 1/4” seam to make one long strip of fabric, pressing seams in any direction. Repeat with the 6 1/2” strips.
To ensure a square quilt, measure the left, right, and center lengths of the quilt. Take the average of the three measurements – this is now the length of your side borders.
Cut two pieces from your long 3 1/2” strip of fabric this length and mark the center. Pin the left, right, and center first to your quilt top, then pin well along the entire edge.
Sew a 1/4” seam and press towards the border.
Repeat with the average of the top, middle, and bottom widths of your quilt using the 6 1/2” strip of fabric.

Finishing

Baste and quilt your project as you prefer. We have included our standard binding instructions below, or we have three VERY through Binding 101 tutorial posts if you need more help!

Binding

Bind as you prefer—below are instructions for our recommended beginner-friendly method.

Cut the number of 2 1/2” binding strips specified and cut off selvedges. Sew end to end with a 1/4” seam, pressing seams open. Fold lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press well.
Leaving a 5-6 inch tail at the beginning, sew the raw edge of the binding strip to the raw edge of the quilt with a 1/4” seam. Stop a quarter inch from the corner and backstitch. Cut thread and release the quilt.
Fold the binding up, making a 45 degree fold in the corner. (See diagram) Keeping this fold in place, fold the binding back down again. Starting with a backstitch, continue attaching binding as before with a 1/4” seam. Repeat at each corner.
Backstitch 5-6 inches from the starting point. Lay the tails on top of one another and trim with 1/2” overlap. 5.
Open the binding tails, sew ends together with a 1/4” seam, finger press the seam open, and re-fold. Lay the binding flat to the quilt and finish stitching down.
Fold the binding over the raw quilt edge and stitch down as desired.